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What activities can have a mobile plant permit?

Not all activities can be permitted as 'mobile plant'. When deciding if an activity is mobile plant, we consider the nature of proposed activities and their potential environmental impact. Mobile plant permits are best suited to truly low impact activities which do not give rise to the need for us to protect land through the use of the statutory surrender test.

The Regulations also require that plant must be designed to move or be moved. When deciding if an activity (or a deployment under an existing permit) meets the mobile plant permitting requirements, we will also consider the intention of the operator. Mobile plant is designed to cover temporary activities. An operator who intends to complete one temporary activity and then move on to the next is more likely to be granted a mobile plant permit. We would normally expect deployments to last for no longer than a year.

If you apply controlled waste to land for the purpose of recovery you may need an environmental permit.

How to apply

You must have a suitable permit andan approved deployment before you can carry out mobile plant activities. You must have an approved deployment of the mobile plant each time you wish to carry out the activities. Each deployment lasts for 12 months.

We offer standard rule and bespoke permit options. See below for more information on each of the standard rule activity types and relevant limits. If you can meet all of the rules, you can apply for a standard rule permit. If you cannot comply with the standard rules or if you wish to use waste not included in the rule set, then you will need to apply for a bespoke permit.

Once you have a permit, you can apply for a deployment. Use the information below to apply for a deployment for the type of activity you want to carry out.

What happens when we receive your deployment?

A deployment application is not an automatic registration. It has to be assessed and approved before you can start the activity. When we receive your deployment, we must:

ensure you have a suitable live permit for the activities you are applying to carry out

assess every application for potential impacts and ensure you have measures in place to deal with them

have regard to our aims and legal duties

listen to members of the public who may be affected by the proposals

Landspreading activities

We have produced standard rules permit SR2010 No4 – Mobile Plant for landspreading. This allows an operator to operate mobile plant for land treatment activities on notified agricultural or non-agricultural land, where the treatment results in benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement. You can apply for a standard permit SR2010 No4 if you can comply with the limits set out in the rule set and meet the following risk criteria:

The wastes spread are suitable for landspreading and are specified within the standard rule

No more than 3,000 tonnes of waste shall be stored at any one time per deployment (no more than 1250 tonnes shall be non-stackable waste)

Waste shall be stored for no longer than 12 months

The activity must not be carried out within 10 metres of any watercourse, Groundwater Source Protection Zone 1, or if a Source Protection Zone has not been defined then within 50 metres of any well spring or borehole used for the supply of water for human consumption including from a private water supply or supplies

The quantity of waste applied per hectare shall not exceed that in the agreed deployment form and in any case no more than the following quantities of waste shall be spread on the land in any period of 12 months:

Please see the below links for the standard rules and the risk assessment.

If you cannot comply with the standard rules or if you wish to use waste not included then you will need to apply for a bespoke permit.

We will only permit up to ten different waste types per deployment and we will only permit the treatment of up to 50 hectares of land (or 100 hectares for a single continuously managed area of land) to be carried out per deployment.

Complete the deployment form below and send it to us for assessment. Read the guidance before you fill in the form and make sure you complete the checklist in the application.

Reclamation, restoration or improvement of land

We have produced a standard rule set allowing an operator to operate mobile plant for land treatment activities resulting in reclamation, restoration or improvement of land. The land must have been subject to industrial or other man-made development for restoration, reclamation or improvement, resulting in benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement.

You can apply for a standard permit if you can comply with the standard rules and meet the following risk criteria:

The wastes spread are suitable for landspreading and are specified within the standard rules

No more than 3,000 tonnes of waste shall be stored at any one time (no more than 1250 tonnes shall be non-stackable waste)

Waste shall be stored for no longer than 12 months

The quantity of waste applied per hectare shall not exceed that in the agreed deployment form and in any case no more than 5,000 tonnes of waste shall be spread per hectare

No point source discharges to controlled waters or groundwater

The activity must not be carried out within 10 metres of any watercourse, Groundwater Source Protection Zone 1, or if a Source Protection Zone has not been defined then within 50 metres of any well spring or borehole used for the supply of water for human consumption including from a private water supply or supplies

If you cannot comply with the standard rules or if you wish to use waste not included then you will need to apply for a bespoke permit.

Complete the deployment form at the bottom of this page and send it to us for assessment. Read the guidance before you fill in the form.

We have produced standard rules permit SR2010No6 – Mobile plant for landspreading of sewage sludge. This allows an operator to operate mobile plant be for land treatment activities resulting in benefit to agriculture or ecological improvement on:

non-agricultural land; and

agricultural land used for the production of non-food crops not grown in short-term rotation with food crops

You can apply for a standard permit if you can comply with the standard rules and meet the following risk criteria:

The wastes spread are suitable for landspreading and are specified within the standard rules

No more than 3,000 tonnes of waste shall be stored at any one time (no more than 1250 tonnes shall be non-stackable waste)

Waste shall be stored for no longer than 12 months

The activity must not be carried out within 10 metres of any watercourse, Groundwater Source Protection Zone 1, or if a Source Protection Zone has not been defined then within 50 metres of any well spring or borehole used for the supply of water for human consumption including from a private water supply or supplies

The quantity of waste applied per hectare shall not exceed that in the agreed deployment form and in any case no more than 250 tonnes per hectare of waste shall be spread on the land in any period of 12 months

If you cannot comply with the standard rules or if you wish to use waste not included then you will need to apply for a bespoke permit.

Complete the deployment form at the bottom of this page and send it to us for assessment. Read the guidance before you fill in the form.